[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Korea-Japan Relations in the March 1st Movement Commemoration Speech

President Yoon's First Commemorative Speech Emphasizes Future of Korea-Japan Relations
Likely to Promote Closer Military Ties Including GSOMIA

President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to emphasize the "future" in his first March 1st Independence Movement Day commemorative speech since taking office, focusing on strengthening close ties such as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) rather than mentioning historical issues.

According to government officials on the 1st, President Yoon is not expected to directly address major bilateral issues such as the forced labor problem, which is currently awaiting resolution, in his first March 1st commemorative speech.

Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, also held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office building on the 28th of last month, stating, "President Yoon's speech tomorrow (March 1st) is expected to reflect on the historical significance of the March 1st Independence Movement, assess the past and present situation of our country, and present the direction we should take toward the future."

As President Yoon expressed in last year's Liberation Day address with keywords such as freedom and prosperity, he intends to emphasize the point that "we must break free from political domination and jointly contribute to peace and prosperity in the international community."

This intention is already evident in this year's Defense White Paper. The White Paper describes Japan for the first time as "a close neighboring country with which South Korea shares values and with which Japan should build a future cooperative relationship that aligns with mutual interests." It also emphasizes the importance of South Korea-Japan and South Korea-Japan-U.S. defense cooperation to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

This represents progress compared to the expression "neighboring country" used in the White Paper two years ago. The critical passages in the 2020 Defense White Paper, such as "the distorted historical awareness of Japanese political leaders and the Japanese government's responsibility for the threatening flights of Japanese patrol aircraft over our naval vessels and the distortion of facts," have been omitted in this year's White Paper.

Additionally, while the 2020 Defense White Paper described defense exchange cooperation in the order of "South Korea-China → South Korea-Japan," this year's White Paper reverses the order to "South Korea-Japan → South Korea-China." The title of the relevant section is also "Building Military Trust and Promoting Defense Exchange Cooperation with Japan, China, and Russia," placing Japan first.

Before the restoration of South Korea-Japan military relations, the government must resolve follow-up consultations related to the forced labor compensation issue. It is reported that the government will accelerate last-minute efforts to reach an agreement with Japan this week, drawing attention to whether the two countries can find common ground.

On the 28th of last month, Foreign Minister Park Jin, after meeting with victims' families at the Seoul Bar Association building in Seocho-gu, told reporters in response to a question about the progress of additional South Korea-Japan consultations, "We fully explained our government's position at the last Munich meeting, and consultations on that are currently underway." However, it is reported that the two countries have not yet reached a conclusion on key issues such as the participation of Japanese defendant companies in funding for victims.

Japan has maintained the position that participation by defendant companies in paying compensation to victims confirmed by domestic court rulings would imply acceptance of the South Korean Supreme Court's rulings, which is legally unacceptable. Therefore, there is speculation that the two countries may seek an "alternative form" that can induce voluntary participation by the defendant companies.

In this case, funding for the compensation payments would primarily come from domestic companies that benefited from the claims funds under the 1965 South Korea-Japan Claims Settlement Agreement, while defendant companies might contribute funds to be used for future-oriented projects or other purposes.

Minister Park said on the day, "Now, in line with our elevated national status, I believe the government must take responsibility and actively embrace the pain of our people caused by historical issues."

South Korea and Japan are reported to continue efforts this week to resolve the remaining contentious issues. It is known that the two countries have communicated frequently not only face-to-face but also by phone, and attention is being paid to the possibility of activating additional high-level channels.

Im Soo-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also said at a regular briefing in response to a question about plans for consultations with Japan after the meeting with victims' families, "The South Korean and Japanese governments are continuing close communication through various means and plan to do so going forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.